Who are Gujjar Bakarwals and Gaddis? What are the similarities between them?
Gujjar Bakarwals are a pastoral community of Jammu and Kashmir. They are great herders of goats and sheep.
The Gaddis are a prominent pastoral community of Himachal Pradesh. The cycle of seasonal movements is similar in case of Gujjar Bakarwals and Gaddis. The Gaddis too spent their winter in the low hills of Shivalik range, grazing their flocks in scrub forests.
By April they moved north and spent the summer in Lahul and Spiti. When the snow melted and high passes were clear, many of them moved on to higher mountain meadows.
By September they began their return movement. On the way they stopped once again in the villages of Lahul and Spiti, reaping their summer harvest and sowing their winter crop.
Then, they descended with their flock to their winter grazing ground on the Shivalik hills. Next April, once again, they began their march with their goats and sheep to the summer meadows.
